Stories

Fluvanna’s Unified Sports program continues expanding opportunities for students

Photos by Kristi Ellis

Scrimmage Play correspondent Karly Hance contributed to this story.

 

You can tell how special, how important every single time the Medford League holds a game is in the voices of the participants. 

 

“It was awesome,” said Fluvanna’s Aaliyah Lewis.

 

“It was amazing to play in front of our fans,” Fluvanna’s Shantika Hawkins said.

 

Even the midgame dancing got rave reviews. 

 

Medford League games that give ASOL (Aligned Standards of Learning) special needs program students the chance to play in front of peers as part of the school’s basketball program have been rolling for seven years in Fluvanna County, and it continues to enrich the lives of those who play in the game and those who come out to support and watch and make those games happen. 

 

“The whole student body loves to come out and support all the kids,” said Fluvanna varsity girls basketball player Abby Seal. “It always adds a lot of joy to the day when we see how happy they all are to play, especially when they score or do something to help their team.”

 

The unified sports program that has expanded beyond Fluvanna County to many other area schools and beyond basketball with offerings in bowling and track and field got recognized at Wednesday night’s Medford game against Orange County in Palmyra as Fluvanna County’s program was presented with a National Champions Together banner. Fluvanna was one of just seven high schools in the state to earn that honor. 

 

It was also announced that Fluvanna’s Special Olympics track team and partners will attend the Special Olympics national meet in Disney World this summer, representing the state of Virginia. 

 

Those are exciting developments for a program with a simple and yet incredibly important goal at the heart of its mission. 

 

“It gives them a chance to feel like their peers,” said Fluvanna County ASOL teacher Nick Ward.

 

That’s happened because of the extensive, community-wide efforts to support what Ward and other members of the ASOL team and Fluvanna’s administration do with the program. There’s been a robust amount of community support that’s helped drive the program to incredible heights the last few years, culminating in that National Banner Unified Champion status. And now a chance to represent Virginia at the national meet in Disney World. Those are impressive honors and incredible experiences that wouldn’t have happened if the program hadn’t gotten underway seven years ago. 

 

But all that excitement doesn’t change the core purpose, the reason it got started in the first place. To make sure ASOL students got to enjoy every part of being a high school student.

 

“To have the exact same experience, everything they see their brothers and sisters and their peers in school do,” Ward said. 

 

That’s happening every time the Medford League laces it up and that’s a big reason the program continues to have so much success. So, mission accomplished. 

 

Or, rather, constantly being accomplished. Every year, in every game, in every meet, through every student who gets to experience Fluvanna’s Unified Sports.

 

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